Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Cleanliness is next to… dirt.

Welcome to the April 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids and Personal CareThis post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared stories, tips, and struggles relating to their children's personal care choices.

I’m sure it drives my ex insane: during the four days that
the kids are with me each week, they are as likely to take a mud bath as they
are to take a shower. But hey,
since I’ve been the steward of my backyard mudpit for the last decade, I’m
pretty sure I know what’s in there (um, microbe-rich, pesticide-free mud). Which is more than I can say about most
soaps and shampoos. So who’s to
say what’s “cleaner” anyway.

Well, there are scientists who study this stuff, and they probably
could tell me, if I knew any of them.
Fortunately, lots of them work with and for Environmental Working Group,
and they keep these massive searchable databases about what’s in a vast range
of the products that line up on the edge of the tub. Their Skin Deep®
Cosmetics Database, which it would not immediately occur to me to search,
since as a letting-myself-go middle-aged earth-mama type, I don’t really think
of myself as using “cosmetics,” provides anyone with internet access with more
information than we ever wanted to have about soaps, shampoos, sunscreens, and
lots of other things we put on our kids.

The pervasiveness of not-entirely-safe ingredients in our
body-cleaning products begs the question of whether “healthy” and “clean”
correlate as closely as we like to think.
As a nurse, I do a heck of a lot of hand-washing, and I do honestly
believe in it as a way of preventing the spread of disease. I take quite seriously my
responsibility in not transferring germs from one patient to another. But as a mom, I let my kids spend a lot
of time in dirt, and don’t worry too much about how much of it gets in their
mouths. And although I believe in
handwashing, I’m completely and totally opposed to anti-bacterial soaps (for
all those of us who are lucky enough not have an immune-suppressed family
member). Plain soap with minimal
additives, plus water and friction, never ever contributed to the evolution of
a super-bug, as far as I know.

I was once told by a friend, quite earnestly, that I was
“not clean enough” to become a nurse.
And if you looked at my kids’ fingernails, you might well agree. As for me, I do occasionally cringe
when I notice those half-moons of black as they climb out of the car to go to
school. But then I relax,
remembering that they got that way out in our very own organic garden. So I just call it good clean dirt. Which is clean enough for me.

***Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:(This list will be live and updated by afternoon April 10 with all the carnival links.)

Rub-a-Dub Co-Bathing in Our Tub — Bath time is more than soap and water! That Mama Gretchen shares how co-bathing with her toddler has opened up a world of cleanliness, learning, and bonding.

How to Gently Trim Your Toddler's Nails — Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses some of the gentle suggestions she has received to help Little Man overcome his anxiety of having his nails trimmed, as well as how she copes with her need for his nails to be trimmed.

Confused About Chemicals? — Jaye Anne at Wide Awake, Half Asleep describes how to find out where the toxic chemicals are in your house and tips on alternatives.

Clipping Those Talons — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings describes the ways her daughter's tolerance for personal care has changed over time, especially when it comes to nail clipping.

Sit Back, Relax and Unschool Hygiene — Instead of focusing on tactics of how to 'get' your child to focus on hygiene, Authentic Parenting explains how to help your child internalize hygienic standards.

EC: All or Nothing? — Elimination Communication. Even the title sounds complicated and time consuming. It doesn't have to, if you adapt it to meet your family's needs, says Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy.

Routine Battles — In a guest post at Anktangle, Jorje of Momma Jorje outlines a simple incentive to help inspire your little one to follow a routine.

Redefining Beauty For My Daughter — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger relays her struggle to define her own femininity and how her preschooler unexpectedly taught her a lesson in true beauty.

I loved reading this post. Your are so right about normal soap not encouraging superbugs. I never use anything with 'anti-bacterial/microbial' on it for this reason. When I first started using cloth nappies I though I would wash them with Napisan, but saw the 'words' pasted all over the bottle and so reached for the earth friendly product I was already using! You have a great attitude to this issue as a nurse!

About Me

The lapse-prone, wanna-be eco-mom of three semi-feral children. You'll notice she has a more-than-slight tendency to over-hyphenate. Her book, A Million Tiny Things: one mother's desperate search for hope in a changing climate, will be out for Mother's Day 2012.